David Cameron: We should be proud of our music industry

Britain should be proud of its music industry and the global appeal it has, the prime minister has said.

Kicking off Music is GREAT week, part of the Music is GREAT Brtiain campaign, David Cameron said: “British music is loved all over the globe, and as a country we can be proud of the tremendous success of our music industry, which is a world leader.”

The PM added that British creative businesses create jobs for millions of people in the UK and give opportunities to young people.

Last year, at the very top of the industry, British artists took 12.6 per cent of global music sales, accounting for one in eight of all artist albums sold. This is up from 11.8 per cent in 2010.

Figures from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) show that global sales of UK music reached £1.9 billion over the year, a figure swelled by the sales of Adele‘s album 21, which astonishingly accounted for around 1.6 per cent of all albums sold worldwide.

The album’s incredible success bagged Adele the gong for global best-selling album title last year, the fourth Britain in five years to claim the prize. The other British artists to grab the award in recent years were Amy Winehouse, Coldplay and Susan Boyle.

Although perhaps more symbolic than sales figures, the title still adds to the pleasant picture of global success for British artists and their music.

Adele’s one-woman contribution to the cause may yet continue too as people are still buying 21 and in impressive numbers – the album has camped out in the UK top five for 68 weeks now – even after 18 million copies were purchased last year.

The question has to be asked: who are these people who are only just finding out about Adele and 21?